Blur Set To Reunite For Hyde Park Gig + Graham Coxon Gear Guide

Damon Albarn and co tell NME ‘it just felt it was right again’. Blur are back! Watch out, Oasis…

Blur are back!

Blur are reforming to play live next year, NME has revealed today. The full line-up – Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree – will play their first gigs together since guitarist Coxon quit the band in 2002.

Speaking only to NME in a world exclusive joint interview, Albarn and Coxon explained that they had put their differences behind them and were looking forward to playing live in 2009.

“It just felt it was right again,” declared Albarn of Blur’s return. “It somehow feels like there’s something for us to do again, we’re not completely useless or pointless, we’ve got a reason to exist.”

Coxon agreed, explaining the band were “making public what’s been going on a little bit privately. For the benefit of the fans and those interested we can say that something’s on the cards”.

What is on the cards is a headlining show in Hyde Park, London on Friday, July 3.

Tickets will go on sale at 9am (GMT) this Friday (December 12). To check the availability of Blur tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/GIGS now, or call 0871 230 1094.

There are also rumours of further dates, including a possible appearance at the 2009 Glastonbury festival.

However, while the band refused to confirm any other shows, Albarn promised fans around the UK that the band would be announcing some more shows.

“We’ll do something in London because that seems sensible,” he said, “but we’re also playing in other parts of the country working up to there.”

For the full exclusive joint interview with Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon get this week’s issue of NME, on newsstands in London this afternoon, and available across the UK tomorrow (December 8). In it the duo discuss how they buried the hatchet, why they decided to reconvene Blur, what songs they expect to play next year, and reveal more of their future plans.

Graham Coxon Gear Guide

Coxon is one of the best guitarists to come out of Britain in the 90’s. So let’s take this opportunity to have a look at what gear helped him to achieve his sound…and alternative gear in case you want to replicate it but can’t afford/ find the right gear!

Some of those pedals have been discontinued: The BF-2 has been replaced by the BF-3 now. Behringer now makes a copie of teh sought-after PN-2, called TP-300 Ultra Tremolo/ Pan, The VB-2 is also sadly gone. Again, Behringer is here to save the day, with their VB-2 replica, the Ultra Vibrato UV300 pedal. It’s a very credible copy, with all the same controls as the original…perfect for “Chemical World”-type of vibrato.

His setup has changed little over the years, and most recent reports show he has added a few more effects to his chain: Boss CS-3, Boss NS-2, Shin-ei fuzzbox,dod punkifier, Electro Harmonix Holy Grail.Apparently he also uses an old Boss DM-2 analogue delay.

He now uses a custom pedalboard that has all switches down the front strip and just pedal controls along the back, like a looper sytem. It also has a tuner mute switch and guitar switching at the start of the chain.